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Our boy is growing like a weed!
As of today, he is 100% in height and 70% in weight.
He officially started wearing 3 month clothes as a 6 week old - mostly outgrowing the torso and feet. Note to future self: two pieces last longer as babies keep changing their proportions!
The second month has been filled with more alertness and curiosity as he explores the space around him. New discoveries include:
Startle reflex is much more prominent - he's jerked himself awake (to tears) a handful of times and it is the sweetest, saddest thing to watch
He loves the bouncer and the swing!
Eyesight is starting to develop more and with a wider field of view, he's much more observant of his surroundings. He loves anything with high contrast since vision is still black and white so lights and window blinds are especially intriguing
The eyesight development has also helped his tummy time as he wants to see everything around him! He's able to hold his head up for almost a minute now and does this constantly on our bellies (belly to belly)
Music has been a staple around here to add some entertainment and the winner has been head, shoulders knees, and toes :)
The giggles and coos have started coming out more and I melt every time
We've been trying to keep him engaged and entertained during awake stints so that we maximize his attention span. Below is our typical day in the life (because I know I will miss these days soon!). Note times are totally approximate because with a newborn, there is no schedule. This is a loose "rolling" schedule.
6-8AM: Wake up (usually with a cry or whimper) and ready for food! Nurse him, diaper change, and a quick OOTD stylin :) Most of the time he's calm after the outfit change giving me time to take my morning photos of him (cue the "Mommmmm...." once he gets old enough to retaliate)
8-9AM: First awake segment includes choice of: - Play mat time on the Loverly mat with contrast cards - Bouncer time in the baby Bjorn - Mamaroo swing time - Being rocked around/walked around by mommy while she sings
9AM-??: First nap of the day
??- start time + 90 minutes: Second awake segment with the same activity choices as above. May include nursing in between
Remainder of the day: Alternate between nap time and awake time (usually 3-5 awake segments per day)
Mornings have been Z's prime time where he's calm and all the smiles. We take all our pictures, have all our FaceTime calls, etc - the high priority things! Part of me thinks that babies do this knowing there is a lot to make up for with mommy and daddy from the long night right before ;)
Sleep and general "fussiness" have been the most challenging element this past month. In the first month, we actually felt like we got somewhat of a routine (as routine as it gets with a newborn) down with feeds and naps forecasted out. However, once we hit week 5-6, we started seeing changes in his general temperament where the cries become more frequent, louder, and often sounds like he's in great discomfort. He also went from sleeping 2-3 hours consistently to sleeping 1-2 hours throughout the night which really put us to the test. His night wakings were often accompanied by the same, if not worse, cries during the day and Z seemed to grunt and squirm a lot - perhaps trying to pass gas or stool. When we couldn't figure out what was wrong, we would always default to feeding him because that's the only thing that seemed to be of comfort and this mama heart couldn't stand to hear him cry the way he was sometimes.
After some investigation and a session with a sleep consultant (we were getting desperate!), it seems like Z has a strong case of acid reflex that's making it difficult to burp and also causes him to wake up. We've been trying different burp techniques, spacing out feedings and sleeps, gripe water, massaging... you name it. It's still a work in progress but hopefully as the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus develops over the next few weeks, he will be much more comfortable.
Up until week 7, the only way he would nap is also through contact napping but the constant need to sleep on me or James has been very hard to get things done. I actually turned a leaf pretty early on and learned to embrace it (who doesn't love a good cuddle session??) but know that it isn't sustainable or ideal for Z long term. We're practicing putting him in the bassinet now and it is definitely a test of patience but we're starting to see some fruit! Ironically, I still secretly hope he will need to contact nap at least every other day ... :)
8 weeks into parenting and what a ride it has already been. James and I find ourselves asking each other
"What do you think we should do? Let him sleep or wake him up?" "Do you think he's still hungry or is it gas?"
"Should we change him now or wait it out in case there are more sharts?"
... the list goes on. Most of the time, the other person replies "I don't know. What do you think??" :) Parenting skills: basic level.
Though these days are likely elementary compared to the parenting we will need to do throughout the teenage years and beyond, I'm loving the process of figuring this out. Of learning our dynamic as a family. Of learning Z's personality.
Of growing together as we grow individually.
Love you to the moon and back Z.